ICY weather bit into sales figures at WH Smith – but the stationery and books chain revealed a boost to profit margins.

Like-for-like sales at the firm’s high street stores slumped by 7% in the eight weeks to 22 January compared to a 4% decline in the previous quarter.

At railway stations, airports and motorway services, the company reported a 3% decline in the 21 weeks to the same date – but accompanied this with a better-than-expected update on margins as it focuses on cutting costs and opting for more profitable stock.

Chief executive Kate Swann described the performance of both divisions as resilient and said the company remained on track to meet expectations.

“Our staff worked extremely hard during this period to maintain the best possible service for our customers,” she said.

Analysts had been expecting like-for-like sales to fall by 5% on the high street and by 1% at travel stores in the period – but those predictions were made before the Arctic weather hit trading.

Same-store sales have declined in recent months as the company moves away from stocking lower-margin entertainment items such as CDs and DVDs to focus on its core range of confectionery and stationery.

WH Smith, which has a store at The Shambles in Huddersfield, said sales of books recommended by the Richard and Judy Book Club were strong – with Sister by Rosamund Lupton and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake among the best sellers.

The group, which operates 516 outlets at airports, train stations and motorway service areas and 573 sites on high streets, reported group like-for-like sales down by 5% in the 21-week period.

Peter Smedley, an analyst at Charles Stanley Securities Research, said the sales declines were worse than expected, but improvements to margins and tight cost control helped deliver an update in line with his expectations.